We recently had the opportunity to visit China and meet up with our China team to discuss all things Magical Winter Lights 2017! Now that we are back state-side ( a little jet-lagged but that’s okay) we are so excited to plan and execute the best MWL yet!

As you may or may not know, we are in full-blown “planning mode” for this year’s festival. From sponsorships to lantern designs, we are thrilled on how MWL 2017 is shaping up, and we can’t wait to share more with you!

Today on the blog we are recapping our China trip.

Day 1 & 2

The first four days we were in the beautiful city of Chengdu. Chengdu is the capital of China’s Sichuan province. It is famously known for its rich history, historic temples, and pandas! (It also happens to be where our China-based PG team is located!)

When we first arrived, we got to play “tourists” the first couple of days and had the chance to visit the Wuhou Temple, Tianfu Square and the Chengdu Panda Base.

Wuhou Temple

The beautiful Wuhou Temple is a must when visiting Chengdu. Also referred to as, The Temple of Marquis Wu, it was built in 1672 and is the most famous temple dedicated to Zhuge Liang. Liang was a prominent historic figure in China that lived from 181 until 234 AD. He played an important role during the Three Kingdoms period in China, in which he served as a minister and military strategist for Emperor Liu Bei (161-223). The temple as serves as a memoriam for Emperor Liu Bei.

There are five sections within the temple and a total of 47 statues dedicated to Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and other officials of the Kingdom. It was absolutely beautiful to walk around the temple, it offered unique architecture, beautiful garden paths, old cypress trees, and stone tablets inscribed with famous Chinese poems dating back all the way to 805 AD!

Tianfu Square

Tianfu Square is centrally located in Chengdu’s city center. The square is incredible to walk around in (especially at night) since it is surrounded by skyscrapers and musical fountains with neon lights! There also great restaurants, museums, and shopping malls around Tianfu Square. We had an awesome time getting to explore Chengdu’s city center!

Chengdu Panda Base

One of our favorite stops was the Chengdu Panda Base! The research facility was established in 1987 as a non-profit research and breeding facility for pandas and other rare animals. The tour guide gave us an educational experience where we learned more about their mission and the importance of protecting pandas and their habitats. Towards the end of the tour, we were able to visit the panda sanctuaries like the one above. Cute, right?!

Day 3 & 4

After getting acquainted with Chengdu, we were ready to get back to work! Day 3 and 4 primarily consisted of meetings with our PG China team!

Our first meeting was focused on the lantern designs for MWL 2017. It was so much fun getting to go through each concept design with the team, and we can’t wait to update you more on this!

On day 4 we visited our manufacturing facility where all of our dinosaurs are made. We are happy to say that Dinosaur Land and the Dino Fun Zone will return this holiday season! Check out some dinosaurs in the making below.

Day 5 & 6

Our flight back to Houston was set to fly out from Shanghai so we had the chance to spend the last couple of days getting to know the city! We really enjoyed walking around The Bund and Shanghai’s Financial District.

The Bund

The Bund is a historic waterfront section in Shanghai along the Huangpu River that faces the modern skyscrapers on the other side of the water. It is one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations. The Bund is made up of European-styled buildings that once served as banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Located just north of old Shanghai, it’s breathtaking to get to walk along the river and see the physical representation of Shanghai’s rich history (The Bund) and its modern world (Financial District skyscrapers).

Shanghai World Financial Center

We took a trip to the Shanghai World Financial Center where we had the chance to go to the 138 floor! At the top of the building you are able to get an incredible view of the city and it’s great skyline. It was absolutely breathtaking!

China was a dream, but we are so happy to be back in Houston. Stay tuned through our Facebook and website for updates and sneak peaks!